Coin collector apparatus



'F U I 19360 J. M. MELICK COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1935 AIL - INVENTOR J. M. MEL ICK A 77'OPNEV Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Application February 7 Claims.

This invention relates to coin collector apparatus particularly such apparatus for use at a telephone pay station.

As applied to telephone coin collectors the present invention is particularly adapted for that type of coin collector wherein the calling party tentatively deposits a coin, which coin is subsequently refunded or collected depending upon whether the desired connection is obtained. In such apparatus as disclosed, for example, in O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent 1,043,219 of November 5, 1912, it is usual to temporarily retain the deposited coin upon a trap-door normally held in a coin supporting position by a pivoted vane adapted to be actuated by an electromagnet to release the trap-door to discharge the coin into a refund chute or collect chute depending upon the direction the vane is moved. The electromagnet may have an operating lever which at one end engages a pin on the vane to produce clockwise or counterclockwise movement of the vane when current is applied to energize the electromagnet. Spring means operating on the opposite end of this lever provides a restoring force for bringing the operating lever and the vane to their normal positions when the electromagnet is deenergized.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved means for restoring the pivoted vane to its normal position after it has been actuated by the operating lever of the coin magnet.

In accordance with the preferred form of this invention the end of the operating arm adjacent the vane carries a light spring member which engages the pin on the vane in such a manner that the spring is flexed by the movement of the vane from its normal supporting position to provide pressure tending to restore the vane to its normal position when the coin magnet has been deenergized. This is particularly advantageous in preventing sticking of the vane in its operated position when the restoring force exerted by the operating lever has only a small component in the direction the operated vane must be initially moved. With the spring member of this invention as described above practically all the pressure exerted by the spring will be applied in such a direction as to be available for turning the vane from its operated position.

This invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows a fragmentary portion of a tele- 21, 1935, Serial No. 7,485

phone coin collector showing a side view of the coin vane and spring restoring means therefor;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of the coin vane and associated apparatus with the coin vane in a vertical position;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 except that the coin vane is shown in its maximum counter-clockwise position for coin collection;

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 2 except that the coin vane is shown in its maximum clockwise position for coin refunding; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the biasing spring for the coin vane.

Fig. 1 illustrates a fragmentary portion of a coin collector of the general type disclosed in the above-mextioned Forsberg patent to which reference is made for a detailed understanding thereof. As explained in the Forsberg patent a deposited coin after passing through a coin chute 6 drops into a coin hopper l, actuates a coin trigger 8 and comes to rest upon a coin trap 9 which is normally supported across the hopper by a pivoted vane ID. The actuation of the trigger 8 by the deposited coin serves to close a contact to place a polarized electromagnet II under the control of the telephone operator. The pivoted armature l2 of the electromagnet has an extension arm l3 the lower end of which is slotted to receive a pin 14 attached to the vane l0 and projecting through an arcuate slot l5 in the front wall of the hopper. When the electromagnet is energized with current flowing in one direction the extension l3 moves vane 10 counter-clockwise to the position of Fig. 3 which allows the coin trap to drop and discharge the deposited coins into a collect chute l6. When the electromagnet is energized by current flowing in the opposite direction the extension I3 moves vane l0 clockwise to the position of Fig. 4 to allow coins on the trap to be deflected into a refund chute H. The vane IE] is pivoted along an axis l8 considerably below pin l4.

After the application of current to electromagnet II has caused arm l3 and vane ID to assume, say, the position of Fig. 3, and the current flow has ceased, some other force is necessary to cause arm l3 and vane H] to move to restore vane It] to its vertical position as in Fig. 2. Heretofore, this restoring force has been supplied by two coiled springs l9 (only one shown in Fig. 1) connected between the framework and extensions of armature 12 whereby one of the springs exerts a restoring force when the vane I0 is in its counter-clockwise position as in Fig. 3 and the other spring exerts a restdring force when the vane I is in its clockwise position of Fig. 4.

Occasionally, however, in the operation of a coin relay as above described there is a tendency for the relay to stick in its operated position due to the fact that in the operated position Fig. 4, for example, the restoring force exerted by the fork |3 due to spring I 9 is almost at right angles to the direction pin l4 must be moved initially from its operated position: That is, in Fig. 4 the restoring force on the fork |3 due to spring |9' tends to move the fork roughly in a horizontal plane while the pin I4 must be moved initially in almost a vertical direction. Hence only a small component of the force exerted by spring I 9 is available for turning the vane back to itsoriginal position, with the result previously mentioned, that the relay occasionally sticks, in its eperated position. a

This invention proposes to overcome this difficulty by providing a restoring force in a direction more nearly coinciding with the initial direction the vane pin I4 must be moved from its operated position. This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment of this invention by a spring 201 which when the vane is in its operated position of Fig. 3 or,Fig. 4 will exert a force tending to pull the stem 4 up into the slot 2| the fork. The spring 20 is shown U-shaped (Fig. with one end 22 slotted to receive the lower end of the fork and the other end 23 slotted to fit over the curved top 24 of the fork to hold the spring in place. This supporting arrangement allows the spring 20 to and 4.

When the vane I 0 is in its vertical position the stem I4 is in the upper portion of slot 2| as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 with spring 20 pressing upwardly against stem Id. The movement of the vane to either of its operated positions of Figs. 3 or 4 causes stem l4 to be considerably lowered the slot 2| thereby spreading the ends 22, 23 of the spring so that as soon as the electromagnet H is deenergized, spring 20 will tend to assume its normal position by moving pin I4 up the slot of the fork. It will be apparent that most of the restoring force supplied by spring 20 is eifective for initiating the return of vane Ill to its vertical position thereby eliminating the danger that the relay I may get stuck in its operated position.

The particular form of spring 26 shown in the drawing has an additional advantage in aiding the return of the vane ill to its normal vertical position in that the spring tends to force the pin |4 away from the outer edge of the slot, thereby reducing considerably the friction which would otherwise be encountered between the pin l4 and the outer side wall of slot 2| when force is applied tending to restore the vane from either'of its operated positions to its vertical position. Thus, in

. Fig. 3 it will be seen that the force exerted by ments their action; that is, it is preferred to use spring 25 in conjunction with springs l9.

' ing from said vane, a lever engaging said pin,

means for operating said lever to deflect said vane from its normal position and spring means mountedon said lever and engaging said pin In L general it has not been found entirely satisfactory to apply all of the restoring force for extension l3 i for supplying a force tending :to restore said vane to its normal position.

2. A coin collector comprisingia coin chute, a pivoted vane within said chute, a lever having a slot, a pin on said vane projecting into said slot, means for operatingsaid lever to deflect means for operating saidlever to deflect said vane from its normal position and spring means contacting with said extension and arrangedto apply increased-*pressure against said extension as said vane is'deflected from its normal position by said lever.

. 4. A coin collector, comprising a coin chute,

a vane within said chute normally located in 'a substantially vertical plane and. pivoted near its lower end, a pin on said vane projecting externally of said chute through an opening insaid chute, a lever pivoted above said vane, the lower end of said lever having an elongated slot, said pin projecting into said slot, means for operating said lever to deflect said vane from itsi normal position, thereby moving said'pin along said slot and spring means contacting with said pin and exerting pressure tending to thrnst said pin upwardly in said slot when said vane is in a defiected position. i V

5. A coincollector comprising a coin chute, a pivoted vane Within said chute, an extension projecting from said vane, a lever engaging said extension, electrical means for operating saidle ver to deflect said vane from its normal position, and spring means contacting with said extension forsupplying a force tending to restore said vane to its normal position. c

6. A coin collector comprising a coin chute, a pivoted vane within said chute lying normally in a substantially vertical plane, a lever, means carried by said van'e for engaging said lever, means for operating said lever to deflect said. vane from its normal position, and spring means for applying increasing upward pressure against said first means as said vane iscdeflected from its normal position by said lever.

'7. A coin collector comprising a coin ,chute, a pivoted vane within said chute normally lying in a substantially vertical plane, a leverhaving a substantially vertically arranged sl' means carried by said vane and positioned within said slot, means for operating said lever to'defiect said vane from its normal position, and spring means engaging said first means for supplying a force tending to restore said vane to its normal position. 7

JOHI M. MELICK. 

